


New Territory

by stories_from_the_7th_floor



Category: Madam Secretary
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Love, Secret Relationship, Sex, Smut, Women In Power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-11 09:30:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15969551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_from_the_7th_floor/pseuds/stories_from_the_7th_floor
Summary: Elizabeth's time as Secretary of State is coming to a close, but her relationship with her Chief of Staff, Nadine, is only just beginning.





	1. Large and in Charge

**Author's Note:**

> You could say this is an unofficial, distant extension of "Drunken Disorderly Conduct," (so feel free to read that one if you want!!) but all you REALLY need to know is that Nadine and Elizabeth have been committed to each other for about a year now. Once again, Henry doesn't exist in this story but I DO intend to write some Elizabeth/ Henry in the future (obviously not a part of this story).
> 
> *I am in no way affiliated with Madam Secretary & own rights to literally nothing. Just a gal who likes to spend time thinking about fictional characters instead of real life*

The Secretary stared at the binder before her with a furrowed brow and a slight pout on her lips. It was getting late and the words she had skimmed five times over with her eyes simply refused to arrange themselves into actual sentences in her mind, so she comprehended none of what she saw on the page. At this point, the whole report was alphabet soup- very important alphabet soup- that she just wasn’t able to digest at this hour.

She was still bent over her desk staring perplexedly at the documents before her when Nadine entered the office. Although they were the only two souls left on the seventh floor for the night, she closed the door behind her before crossing the room and coming around Elizabeth’s desk to take a seat on the tabletop next to the binder that had been flipped shut with frustration when Nadine entered the room.

“I’m only 43 pages deep in this goddamn report and I haven’t actually interpreted a single word of it. This is going to be my last global deal and I think my brain clocked out about an hour ago,” Elizabeth sighed as she sat back and removed her glasses from the bridge of her nose, dropping them onto the closed binder that Blake had gladly pulled together for her; the last binder he would pull together for her. 

“I think it’s time to call it a night, Elizabeth,” Nadine replied with a twinkle in her eye. Typically, Nadine was the one who couldn’t call it quits and Elizabeth had to drag her (sometimes literally) out of the building and into the SUV that was always ready and waiting to take them to one of two places: Elizabeth’s house or Nadine’s apartment. Nobody worked harder than Nadine at the State Department, so Elizabeth knew that once Nadine stopped calling her “Ma’am,” and was able to put down her work for the night, the day was done.

“I just can’t believe that I haven’t made any progress on this in the past hou—“ Elizabeth’s complaint was interrupted by Nadine who leaned down from her perch on the desk and stole a kiss from the Secretary. Elizabeth closed her eyes and parted her lips, sighing into Nadine’s mouth. Nadine drew back after a moment and placed her forehead against Elizabeth’s. The tired blonde opened her eyes to meet Nadine’s gaze. 

“Stop,” Nadine said softly, “there’s nothing more you can do tonight. We’ll pick it up again in the morning,” 

Elizabeth nodded and placed a hand on Nadine’s thigh, stretching her neck towards the other woman in request of another kiss. Nadine obliged, sliding off the desk and into Elizabeth’s lap as she met the Secretary’s soft lips with her own. Nadine’s body was a blanket of comfort over Elizabeth who wrapped her arms around the petite woman’s body, pulling her closer and holding her tight. Nadine, in response, wrapped her arms around the Secretary’s neck and poked her warm tongue into Elizabeth’s mouth, tracing her perfect white teeth until she was granted access beyond. 

Elizabeth met Nadine’s tongue with hers and tilted her head to the side, covering Nadine’s mouth with her own and eliciting a soft “hmmmm,” from the smaller woman. Nadine couldn’t help but smile as Elizabeth nipped at her lower lip, capturing it between her teeth and sucking softly on it. She pulled her mouth free from Bess’s and leaned up to her ear, pushing back soft blond curls and whispering “Let’s go home,” before nibbling on Elizabeth’s earlobe and dragging her lips down the expanse of her neck.

Elizabeth slid one hand around the front of Nadine’s torso and down her leg, hooking her arm under her knees and keeping the other around her back. She stood almost effortlessly, cradling Nadine in her arms. She stood like that for a minute as Nadine’s smiling lips returned to her mouth for another tongue duel before she set Nadine gently on her feet. Nadine smiled with love at the Secretary who was gathering her coat and other belongings. Once she had everything she needed, she met Nadine at the door and wrapped an arm tenderly around her shoulders and Nadine leaned into her as they walked, resting her palm on the small of Elizabeth’s back. Her touch was electric, and Elizabeth was already forgetting about the stress and anxiety she had left piled on her desk; all she could think about was Nadine, and her warm hands all over.

They stopped briefly at Nadine’s office so she could gather her things, then continued hand in hand downstairs and outside where the motorcade was waiting. Elizabeth’s detail was not surprised that Nadine would be joining them; over an increasing number of months it had become a regular occurrence. In the beginning they claimed their relationship was strictly professional, but it was quite obvious what was going on and they both knew it. Her security detail were the ONLY ones who knew and that’s the way they planned to keep it, at least until they no longer worked for the State Department. Dalton's second term was coming to a close and while Elizabeth truly enjoyed her job, the years she spent as Secretary had been exhausting and she had no interest in working under anyone that wasn't Conrad. Surely, his successor would appoint a new Secretary anyway, and Elizabeth's successor was bound to bring their own staff. Nadine had no fear of losing her job; once Elizabeth was done at State, she was done at State. It had been her whole life and many of the long term State employees were surprised she had stuck around so long. Nadine was surprised too, but grateful as well. If she had left the department sooner, she would have never known Elizabeth.

The staff was absolutely oblivious. Nadine had experience with the workplace affair and clearly had a strong poker face. Nobody knew what Nadine did in her free time aside from the occasional nights they went out for drinks. Although Elizabeth, on the other hand, did know everyone on a personal level, she did not let on that she was seeing Nadine frequently outside of work. It was quite easy; the Chief of Staff was already right hand to the Secretary, and although it was not a common occurrence to let their relationship seep into the workday Elizabeth was able to call Nadine privately into her office whenever she wanted with no questions asked. Nadine always brought her reading glasses and a binder to the Secretary’s office, even if they ended up on the floor while the two women made out against the door or planned last minute dinner dates.

They settled themselves into the warm car and departed for Elizabeth’s house. Nadine sat against the driver's side door and Bess snuggled up against her. Quiet kisses were placed on the top of Elizabeth’s head and Nadine ran her fingers through the soft blonde hair resting on her shoulder. Although this relationship was no longer new, they had both maintained the excitement and awe of a fresh romance, and they soaked up every minute together.

Though the car ride was no more than 15 minutes in length, Elizabeth had quickly slumped into Nadine’s lap and fallen asleep. Nadine had no complaints, and softly caressed her love’s smooth face for the remainder of the trip. She nudged Elizabeth softly as the car pulled up to the dark house, and they pulled their coats around themselves in preparation for the short walk through the icy winter air. Once inside, coats were hung neatly in the closet and shoes were kicked sloppily to the side. Nadine followed Elizabeth into the kitchen as per usual and waited while she heated up leftover Thai take out for the both of them. Once the food was safely rotating in the microwave, Elizabeth turned around to catch Nadine’s lips forcefully and pulled her body close by the waist. Nadine reached up on her toes and grinned into Elizabeth’s mouth, tangling her hands into the hair she had just spent the car ride stroking smooth- a few minutes of this and it would be a tangled mess. A sexy tangled mess, but a mess all the same.

By the time the microwave dinged, Elizabeth’s suit-jacket had been removed and the top three buttons on Nadine’s blouse had been undone. They giggled like school girls as they made their way to the couch, both removing their uncomfortable dress pants before snuggling up under a blanket, flipping through the TV guide, and settling on a late night rerun of Cheers. They laughed, cuddled, and exchanged kisses between bites of food. “You know, I’ve always thought Lilith was kind of sexy,” Elizabeth chuckled as the on-screen psychiatrist stuffed her whole fist in her mouth.

Nadine shot her a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow at her. “That is what you find sexy?” she said with a touch of sarcasm.

“Not as sexy as you of course,” Elizabeth replied.

Nadine smirked and set her plate on the end table next to her. She extended her arm to full length before balling her hand into a fist and inserting it fully into her mouth. Elizabeth stared open-mouthed at the incredible woman next to her as she pulled her fist out of her mouth and rose from her place on the couch and whispered, “I’m going to go wash my hand.” Elizabeth ogled at a pantsless Nadine as she flitted into the kitchen, arms swinging and hips swaying to the tune of the classic theme song playing from the TV as she went.

As she attempted to return to her seat, Nadine crossed in front of Elizabeth who grabbed her hand as she passed and pulled her down on top of her. She played with dark curls, looking up at the sweet face above her and admiring her smile, her dark eyes, and the pretty laugh lines that crossed her pale face. “How did I get so lucky?” Elizabeth whispered with a happy sigh. She reached up to trace her finger over soft lips and Nadine’s smile widened, crow’s feet spreading from the outer corners of her eyes.

“I love you Elizabeth,” she whispered.

“I love you more than I can say,” Elizabeth replied sweetly. She combed her fingers through the coils of Nadine’s hair and pulled her head down to hers. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment before their lips connected once more with urgency and lust.  
Elizabeth skimmed her hands down the sides of Nadine’s body and back up underneath her shirt, pulling the already unbuttoned garment over her head. Nadine sat up and shook out her wild curls, lower lip caught in her teeth as she grinned deviously down at her boss. “Why don’t we take this upstairs?” she suggested. She stood in her matching bra and panties and pulled Elizabeth off the couch. Elizabeth’s shirt was discarded before Nadine grabbed her hand and lead her up the stairs and into the bedroom, leaving them both in their underwear. Nadine tugged on Bess’s arm, pulling her around in front of her and pushing her back onto the bed. She proceeded to crawl over the body of the blonde, pinning her hands over her head and leaning over to place wet kisses across the expanse of her chest.

“Feeling large and in charge tonight, are we?” Elizabeth asked with a soft chuckle.

“Mmmm,” came Nadine’s reply, “you may be the Secretary of State, but everyone knows that I’m the one with all the power.”

“Is that right?” Elizabeth inquired. She freed her arms from Nadine’s grip and unhooked her bra in a swift movement, pulling the straps down thin, milky arms and tossing it to the floor. She then took Nadine by the waist and rolled over so that she was straddling her Chief of Staff.

“Physical strength does not equate to power,” Nadine retorted, not willing to accept defeat. She wriggled underneath Elizabeth’s body which ultimately did nothing to aid her escape. In fact, because of the way their bodies were pressed together the only thing it succeeded in doing was making them both increasingly hot. Elizabeth ground down on Nadine’s leg, and Nadine continued to move underneath her no longer fighting to be free, but rather to increase the friction between her legs.

Elizabeth shifted her body and hooked her thumbs beneath the waistband of Nadine’s black panties, sliding the wet cloth down her legs. She then stayed upright between Nadine’s legs which had come to rest on Elizabeth’s strong shoulders. She took Nadine by the waist and effortlessly pulled the petite woman closer to her, bringing her pelvis up off the bed to her face. She kissed the inside of Nadine’s upper thigh softly and nuzzled her nose into her already ripe bundle of nerves. Nadine shuddered instantaneously, eager for something more. Elizabeth placed her mouth over Nadine, flicking her tongue slowly. The sound Nadine made was almost a purr, and Elizabeth took this as a signal to increase the intensity slowly; she had come to know just what Nadine liked and used it to her advantage. They often tried new things, but it always came down to the basics, and tonight wasn’t an exploratory night. It did not take long for Nadine to make it to the edge, and she was soon moaning with pleasure and trembling under Elizabeth’s skilled mouth.

Once she had come down from her high, Nadine sat up and kissed Elizabeth sloppily before pushing her back once more and returning to her initial position above the toned body of her favorite person. Elizabeth, too, finished quickly, and they were soon tangled together in a tired, naked mess of limbs and lips. They fell asleep shortly after, both with soft smiles on their unconscious lips.


	2. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a routine morning with Elizabeth and Nadine, our favorite govt gfs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quick update, school has been kicking my butt lately but I wanted to get something up because it's been a while! I have a pretty chill week so hopefully there will be another more substantial chapter up soon!

Nadine, as usual, was the first to wake in the morning. Elizabeth's daily alarm was set for 5:30, but Nadine was always awake a few minutes before her. She rolled out from under Elizabeth's limp body and freed herself from the mess of covers. Once on her feet, she leaned over to place a kiss on soft, messy blonde hair and began her morning. She grabbed her silky mauve robe as she exited the bedroom and draped it loosely over her naked body as she padded down the stairs and into the kitchen where she put on a pot of coffee. She waited by the back door watching the early morning light until the coffee maker was finished, playing with her own dark curls. When the coffee was ready, she poured herself a cup and sipped it black as she returned to the master bedroom. She set the half-drank cup on Elizabeth's bedside table and crossed to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and washed her face before abandoning her robe and stepping into the shower.

As the water began to run in the bathroom, Elizabeth's alarm went off and she groggily reached for her phone to turn it off. She caught a whiff of the coffee Nadine had left her and smiled, sitting up to grab the cup and drink her energy for the morning.

Moments later, Nadine heard Elizabeth enter the bathroom. She, too, brushed her teeth before sliding open the shower door and peeking in at the petite woman inside. "Morning," Nadine said brightly, rinsing shampoo out of her dark mane.

"Steamy in here," Elizabeth replied, stepping into the warm shower.

"It is now," Nadine grinned at her before stepping out of the stream of water to tenderly embrace Elizabeth's dry body, stretching her neck to kiss minty fresh lips. 

They took turns washing and teasing each other's bodies playfully in the steam of the shower, then toweled themselves dry and continued with their morning routines. Nadine tamed her curls while Elizabeth went to work on her make-up, then they switched and Nadine lined her dark eyes as she watched Elizabeth dry and curl her locks. By 6:00 they were dressed and downstairs on the couch, each with their own cups of coffee, reading up on emails and preparing for the day ahead of them. Elizabeth was reminded of the binder she had waiting for her in the office and was not looking forward to the day ahead of her, but she also felt sadness tugging at her heart knowing that in a few days' time, she would no longer be the Secretary of State.

It wasn't long before Nadine kissed Elizabeth goodbye and gathered her things; one of Elizabeth's detail was waiting to take Nadine in early to avoid suspicion from the other staff members. If Nadine wasn't the first in the office, questions were asked. "See you at seven," Nadine said as she walked out the front door.

Elizabeth left the house at 6:45 and was greeted by Blake, Jay, and her lovely Nadine when the elevator door opened on the seventh floor promptly at 7:00.


	3. Two in One Day?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Secretary of State's office has played a pivotal role in the lives of both Elizabeth and Nadine. That's all I have to say about that (;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea hit me tonight and I typed it up super quick, and it's getting late now so I'm not going to take the time to revise/ edit it. Since I'm making this story up as I go and writing each chapter after posting the one before, I'm sure there are some holes in the story so I'mm going to go through and edit the whole thing this weekend.
> 
> If you have questions or find a hole or have suggestions or ANYTHING of the nature please do not hesitate to drop a comment! I love hearing from you!
> 
> I'm super excited about this chapter so I hope you enjoy it!

On their last day at the State Department, Nadine hung back with Elizabeth instead of going in early. Barring any diplomatic emergencies, it was expected to be a slow day at the office, perfect for packing up boxes and saying goodbyes. Elizabeth's office was sure to be a doozy; some personal photographs, a few books, and a small closet full of spare clothing made up the majority of the belongings she kept in the office that wouldn't be staying for her successor. Nadine, on the other hand, had been with the department longer and had an office filled with memories and personal things. Elizabeth planned on spending most of the day helping pack Nadine's things which was sure to be interesting; the small, glass pained office did not serve as an ideal place to steal sweet kisses and all Elizabeth wanted to do was snuggle up with her partner and wish for one more trip to Geneva, or one more video chat with the ever-challenging minister Chen. Funny how all of the sudden being hung up on by him didn't seem half bad.

During the elevator ride to the seventh floor, Nadine turned to face Elizabeth and leaned up on her toes to kiss her softly, careful not to smudge their lipstick. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking into the Secretary's eyes and searching through them for any hints she could find.

"It's bitter-sweet," Elizabeth replied, and after a moment she smiled, "but yes, I'm okay. I'm proud."

Nadine beamed up at her. She was ready to leave the State Department, but even putting on a good show Nadine knew that Elizabeth would miss her position as Secretary of State. "You should be," Nadine spoke softly, "you've most certainly done your part and made your mark on this country."

The elevator chimed, declaring their arrival. They stepped away from one another as the door opened, and they were greeted by Daisy, Matt, and Jay who were wearing tacky party hats and blowing noisemakers. Nadine and Elizabeth looked at one another and laughed. They stepped out of the elevator and into the little celebration as Blake walked swiftly towards them, also wearing a party hat, and carrying what turned out to be a box of bear claws. Elizabeth eagerly took the first one followed quickly by the rest of her staff.

The rest of the day breezed by and before they knew it, Nadine and Elizabeth were standing hand in hand at the door of the Secretary's office which was now empty of all traces they could have left. Emotion hit Nadine unexpectedly from behind, and she wiped a single tear from her cheek hoping Elizabeth didn't notice. She walked towards the window and Bess let her hand slip away; Nadine was ready to leave the job and the department, but she had so many memories in this room that she didn't want to leave.

Elizabeth followed Nadine to the window and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman from behind. She leaned around to place a kiss on her wet cheek, and then rested her head in wild brown curls. Of the two women, Elizabeth would be the expected crier; Nadine was known for her wall of professionalism and privacy and was not an outwardly emotional person. But Elizabeth knew her well and suspected that she would have trouble severing ties with this office and the history she had here. "Hey," Elizabeth whispered into Nadine's hair, "I have something that'll make you feel better."

Nadine turned around and cupped Elizabeth's face in her hands, pulling it down to her level and kissing her softly at first, then with passion. A few more tears slipped down Nadine's pale face and she released her hold on Elizabeth's to wipe her own. "You are what makes me feel better, Elizabeth." She sniffled, smiling softly through her tears.

Elizabeth chuckled softly. "I know," she said as she wiped another stray tear from Nadine's cheek, "Which is why I got you this."

Elizabeth took a step back and reached into her pocket, producing a small velvet box. Both women stared at it for a moment before Elizabeth dropped to one knee and opened it to reveal a dainty diamond set into a platinum, diamond incrested band. "You have loved and lost," Elizabeth started, "I know you have memories in this office Nadine, and they aren't all memories that you're fond of." Nadine covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to hide her surprise. She fought the tears that were once again streaming from her eyes. "But," Elizabeth continued, "this office is where I first met you. It's where I fell in love with you. We've spent late nights and early mornings here, we've fought hard battles both winning and losing. We've chugged coffee and we've chugged wine, and we've shared tears, laughter, dances, kisses, and... other unmentionable things all in this room," Nadine laughed at that, "and I decided that it was the only room in which it would feel right to ask you this question." Elizabeth pulled the ring from the box and held it in one hand. "Nadine, will you marry me?"

All Nadine could do was nod, and Elizabeth stood up as Nadine crashed into her arms. They both cried silently as they held each other, so excited and so in love. A hard day had turned into something so happy, and Nadine was beyond grateful to be sharing her life with someone who had the power to not only distract her from her pain, but heal it. Elizabeth never wanted to let go of Nadine's small form. She wished they could stay in this moment forever.

Nadine lifted her head from where it had been hiding in Elizabeth's shirt to look into icy blue eyes, "I love you," she said simply. The tears had subsided and she took a step away from the taller woman, extending her hand toward Elizabeth who took it in hers, kissed it lightly, and slid the ring into place. "You are the love of my life," Elizabeth whispered in response. They kissed again, this time with greedy, open mouths, without worry of smudging their already messy lipstick. Only moments later, Blake walked through the door that they had carelessly left open the whole time. He was halfway into the room before he looked up from his cell phone and said "Oh," in a tone that wasn't exactly surprised, but also was not confused or judgmental. It was just kind of a matter-of-fact, "Oh."

"Well," Elizabeth said to Nadine more than Blake as she shot a glance at the clock, "we don't work here as of five minutes ago, so I guess it's as good a time as any to tell the staff." Nadine laughed softly at this comment; she knew something Elizabeth didn't.

"Yes speaking of the staff," Blake chimed in, "you two are wanted in the kitchen."

Nadine took Elizabeth's hand in hers and they followed Blake across the floor to the kitchen that was filled with balloons and draped with streamers and ribbon. They were once again greeted by Daisy, Matt, and Jay who were holding up a big sign that said 'SUPRISE,' which they all shouted as the women entered the room behind Blake.

"You guys!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "you shouldn't have! We already had the whole donut party this morning!"

"We didn't," Matt replied, already munching on a cupcake that had been taken from an otherwise untouched box laying open on the counter, "This was Nadine's idea."

Elizabeth took a cupcake before turned to Nadine who looked at her lovingly. She then gestured back to the sign that Daisy and Jay were flipping around as Elizabeth bit into her cupcake. On the back, it read in Nadine's beautiful script, 'Will you marry me?' Her eyes widened and she lowered the cupcake from her mouth to set it on the counter. "No way?" she exclaimed turning back to Nadine who had a ring in her hand. Nadine nodded back at Elizabeth with the biggest smile on her face. "I can't BELIEVE this!" Elizabeth shouted as Nadine took her turn sliding a beautiful diamond ring into place on her lover's hand.

"Great minds think alike," Nadine said. Elizabeth placed a hand on Nadine's waste and snaked the other around her neck and underneath her hair, pulling her face up and kissing it excitedly as a whole new wave of tears hit them both. Nadine wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's body and the staff whooped and cheered. Matt even popped a bottle of champagne.

They spent the rest of their evening catching the staff up to speed, explaining why they'd kept their relationship quiet (which Daisy was beyond thankful for from a PR standpoint) and sharing stories from their time together. By 7:00 the cupcakes were gone and they prepared to clear out with the rest of the building. They cleaned up and decided they would all leave the building at the same time. While the others waited for the elevator to arrive, Elizabeth and Nadine took one last stroll through the seventh floor. They still had heavy hearts, but they had been lifted by love and excitement, and it was a lot easier to leave on a high note. They met the rest of their group at the elevator and exchanged hugs goodbye when they exited the building along with promises to stay in touch. The six of them then split in four different directions; Daisy and Matt didn't think the others knew they were still together, but they weren't as good about hiding their affection as the Secretary and her Chief of Staff had been.

Nadine climbed into the motorcade and made themselves comfortable. They had trouble keeping their hands off one another in the back seat and couldn't wait to celebrate their double engagement when they got home.


End file.
